Yarn dyeing apparatus



Dec. 26, 1933.

E. C. GWALTNEY YARN DYEING APPARATUS Filed July 2, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet lFiled July 2, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TO Y;

Dec. 26, 1933. E. c. GWALTNEY YARN DYEING APPARATUS Filed July 2, 1930 3Sheets-Sheet 3 7 INVENTOR. B

Patented Dec. 26, 1933 YARN DYEING APPARATUS Eugene C. Gwaltney, LaurelHill, N. 0. application July 2, 1930. Serial No. 465,360

Claims.

Colored yarns and threads are employed for many different purposes inthe textile industry. Before being colored, the yarns are spun in theregular way, from finely attenuated filments or fibers of cotton, wool,silk, cellulose or other material, and then wound upon bobbins fromwhich they may subsequently be transferred to beams, reels or the like.Thereafter, the yarns or threads are colored by some dyeing processcarried on as a separate operation. Of the many different dyeingprocesses which have been proposed, there are four which are mostcommonly practiced, namely, hank dyeing, package or cop dyeing, beam orwarp dyeing, and long chain or rope dyeing.

In the process of hank dyeing, the spun yarn or thread is rewound on acollapsible reel from which it is then removed as a hank. A plurality ofsuch hanks is then dipped and left immersed in a dye vat for asufficient length of time to permit the dye to penetrate the fibers. Thehanks are next transferred to a wash tank or fixing bath or both, afterwhich they must be dried in a hydro-extractor (centrifugal machine) andsuspended on poles in a steam-heated drying oven or chamber. The dyedand dried hanks are then again placed on reels, from which they arefinally rewound on bobbins or the like. All of these operations requireconsiderable labor and expensive apparatus, and are therefore notconducive to economical production. But another serious objection isthat when the wet hanks are placed in the centrifugal hydro-extractorand whirled around at high speed, they frequently become snarled, makingthe rewinding difiicult and often resulting in knots and breaks in theyarn or thread.

In the package or cop dyeing process, the yarn or thread is wound onperforated hollow cores or bobbins, a plurality of which (usually fiftyor more) is mounted upon a central tubular support or spider which isplaced in a closed pot or tank. The liquid dye is then forced underpressure through the central tubular support and into the hollow coresor bobbins, and then outward through the windings of yarn or thread onsaid perforated hollow cores. After thus circulating the dye for asufficient length of time, the pot or tank is drained, the spiderremoved, the cops or bobbins transferred to drying ovens, and later theyarn or thread is again rewound preparatory to subsequent operations oruse. This process, too, requires expensive machinery and considerablelabor-hence entailing high cost of production--and moreover fails togive uniformity of color.

The process of warp or beam dyeing involves drawing a multiplicity ofrelatively spaced, parallel yarns or threads continuouslythroughsuccessive dye r and wash tanks. The yarns or threads are initiallywound upon beams, usually from one h dred to three hundred yarns to abeam, and hey are all drawn off simultaneously and rewound on beamsafter they have passed through the dye and wash tanks. In the practiceof this process, it frequently happens that some of the yarns or threadsbreak in the tanks, and it is then necessary either to stop the feed ofall of them in order to repair the break, or to con- 7 tinue the feed ofthe unbroken yarns and leave the broken ones to pile up in the bottom ofthe tanks. Stopping the machine means an economic loss for the wholeunit as well as the labor cost of repairing the breaks, which, in mostcases are difficult and troublesome to get at; and allowing the machineto continue without repairing the breaks, produces rewound beams withless than the standard number of yarns or threads, which obviously isvery unsatisfactory. Furthermore, when the machine is stopped forrepairs, those zportions of the yarns which are submerged in the tank,regardless of whether they are broken or not, become more deeply coloredthan when they are passed through a normal speed, so that the productsof the machine are not uniform in color. For these and other reasons,this particularmethod is really only practical for dyeing coarse orcomparatively thick yarns or threads having suificient tensile strengthto withstand the heavy pull to which they are subjected in the use ofthe apparatus.

The long chain or rope dyeing process is similar to the beam dyeingprocess above described with the exception that instead of running theyarns or threads in spaced relation, they are brought together in abunch or'loose rope form and in that condition passed through the dyevat, wash tank, driers, etc. They are afterwards separated, coiled, andrewound. With this process, the dyed yarns or threads are not uniform incolor, because those in the interior of the rope are not so easily or soquickly penetrated by-the dye liquor as are those at the outside of therope. Also, the tendency to snarl is present, giving rise todifliculties in the rewinding.

Speaking generally, the apparatus necessary for practicing theprior artdyeing processes is of high first cost, occupies a large amount ofspace,

and. requires considerable time and labor in handling the materials. Infact, the dyeing of yarns and threads is really a distinct industry initself, contributing largely to the high cost of textile products; andin most cases, the dye house is the bane of the textile mill. But theforegoing and other objectionable features of the prior art are overcomeby the present invention which has for its principal object, theprovision of a novel and simplified method and apparatus for dyeingyarns or threads more rapidly and more economically than has heretoforebeen possible, and this in a way which will give absolute uniformity incolor.

In its broader aspects, the invention contemplates the dyeing of textileelements, i. e. either yarns or threads, by passing them continuouslythrough a dye bath and a cleansing bath, as by feeding or drawing them.from bobbins, reels or other suitable sources of supply and rewindingthem on bobbins or spools or otherwise disposing them. An importantfeature of the invention is that the individual yarns or threads areunder independent control during the dyeing operation, so that repairscan be made easily and quickly and without stopping the feed of theunbroken elements. liquid dye is mixed with a surface tension reducer byvirtue of which the dye can penetrate the textile fibers very quickly,thus enabling the process to be carried out at extremely high speed.

More specifically, the invention provides relatively narrow dye and washtroughs arranged one in front of the other, and of such length that agreat many yarns or threads in spaced parallel relation can be fedthrough them' at the same time. Theindividual yarns-or threads are fedthrough the dye and wash troughs under the guidance of suitable means,such as guide pulleys or rollers, which are independently controllableand movable selectively int5 or out of the troughs. The dye liquor,which should preferably contain some kind of surface tension reducer orwetting out agent, is circulated through the dye trough while the yarnsare passing through it, the dye being pumped from a supply tank into oneend of the trough and drawn out at the other end through an overflowpipe which conducts it back to the supply tank. In order to obtain thebest results, the dye is heated and maintained at a substantiallyconstant temperature by means of a small steam pipe which lies in thebottom of the dye trough, the direction of flow of the steam beingpreferably opposite to that of the flow of the dye in the trough, andthe steam supply being regulated by a thermostatic valve subject to theheat of the circulating dye solution.

Means are also provided to remove excess surface moisture from the yarnsor threads as they leave the dye trough and wash trough successively.Such means may be in the form of squeeze rolls, but it is preferred tomake use of soft rubber wipers provided with slits through which theyarns pass. These wipers are particularly desirable, not only because oftheir simplicity, but because they function without splashing the dyeand without exerting excessive friction on the passing yarns.

While the improved method can be practiced as a separate operation, thenecessary apparatus is so simple and compact as to be adaptable tovarious types of existing machinery, such as twisters, spoolers, and thelike, and so that the yarns or threads can be dyed simultaneously withor as a part of some other necessary operation. In this connection,reference may be had to my copending application Serial No. 465,361,filed of Another important feature is that the even date herewithshowing the adaptation of the invention to a twister of well-known form.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of theinvention will be more readily understoodfrom the following descriptionin connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein one form ofapparatus for carrying out the improved method has been shown by way ofillustration. In the drawings- Figure 1 is a fragmentary verticaltransverse sectional view through a spooler equipped with the improveddyeing apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the dyeing apparatus;

v Fig. 3.is a fragmentary elevation of one side of the machine shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail .face view of one of the wipers per se; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view therethrough, taken online 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the inven tion is shown as appliedto a conventional spooler, although it is to be understood as beingequally applicable to other types of machines, such as twisters,slashers, and the like, or as embodied in some special machine designedfor practicing the invention. The yarn or thread elements A to be dyed,are fed at high speed continuously from a multiplicity of supply units Bto a corresponding multiplicity of delivery or rewinding units C, and intheir passage they are led successively through a common dye trough 10and a common wash trough 11.

In the illustrated embodiment, each supply unit B comprises a singlewarp wind bobbin 14, which is freely rotatable in a holder 15, in frontof and slightly below the troughs, while the delivery unit C comprises asingle straight wind spool or bobbin 16 mounted on a rotatable spindle17 behind and slightly higher than the troughs. In the present instance,therefore, a single yarn or thread element passes from each supply unitto each delivery unit, and the description throughout will refer to anindividualyarn unit as constituted by such a single yarn or threadelement. However, it is pointed out that more than one yarn or threadmay be comprised within a single yarn unit as referred to in theappended claims, the invention contemplating the passing of amultiplicity of individual yarn units through the dye bath so long asthe units are under independent control. For example, in twisters, it iscustomary to draw two or more yarns from as many difierent bobbins andtwist them together into a single thread which is wound upon a singlespool. In such case, according to this invention, the-two supply bobbinswould constitute the supply unit herein intended, while the singlewinding spool would constitute the delivery unit- This illustration isgiven only by way of example, there being many other instances whichmight also be cited.

There are two series of supply and delivery units, arranged as bestshown in Fig. 1, with one series at each side of the verticallongitudinal centerline of the machine, and with a plurality (usuallyone hundred or more) units in each series. A separate dye trough and aseparate wash trough are employed for each series, but

these troughs extend longitudinally and are common to all of the supplyand delivery units of the corresponding series.

The rewinding spindles 17 are journaled in rolled steel or cast ironangle bars 18 constituting portions of the main frame of the machine andwhich extend longitudinally between the frame end castings 19. Each ofsaid spindles 17 is provided with a small grooved pulley 20 connected byan endless belt 21 with a central longitudinally extending driving drumor pulley 22, and by means of brakes 23 pivoted on the frame .bars 23the individual spindles can be independently stopped as will later beexplained, while the belt 21 slips around the corresponding spindlepulley 20. Each belt 21, as shown, drives two spindles, one on each sideof the machine, but the details of' these driving connections are, ofcourse, susceptible of many variations. Since the units at oppositesides of the machine are alike in construction, only one of them need bedescribed in detail.

In one type ofspooler (e. g. the so-called Foster winder or drumspooler), the rewinding spindles are driven from a drum by surfacecontact with the spool or package, and hence in this type of spooler thevarious individual yarns or threads travel through the machine at aconstant linear speed. This particular type of spooler is preferred forthe practice of the present invention for that reason. since a constantlinear speed of the yarns or threads through the dye bath is desirablefor the sake of absolute uniformity and levelness of color. Except inthis respect, the conventional type of spooler illustrated will serveequally well in explaining the invention, although it is repeatedthatthe invention is also applicable to many other types of known machinesor to any type of machine capable of carrying out the novel processdescribed. 7

The dye trough l0 and wash trough 11 (which can be of any suitablematerial, e. g. sheet metal) are comparatively narrow (see Fig. 1) andmay be integrally formed as shown, or made separate if desired. In theform shown, they comprise tapered side walls 25 and 26, end walls 27 and28, and curved bottoms 29 and 30, respectively. The tops of the troughsare entirely open, and the upper edges of the side walls 25 and 26 maybe beaded or flanged, as indicated at 31. A plurality of spaced cradles32, having concave seats 33, are employed to support the troughs 10 and11, said cradles being secured to the upper flange 34 of a Z-bar 35which extends longitudinally between the frame end castings 19. From theforegoing it will be clear that the troughs, supply units, and deliveryunits are very compactly arranged, giving ready access to all partsthereof, and thus promoting maximum efliciency at low cost. Thiscompactness is desirable not only from the standpoint of occupied floorspace, but also because it facilitates the independent control of theyarn guiding means, as will now be described.

A plurality of upright posts 37, arranged at spaced intervals, aresupported by feet 38 resting on the angle bars 18, and said poststhemselves constitute supports for spaced longitudinal rails 39 and 40which are similar to the skewer rails so well-known in the art. Upperand lower parallel motion arms 41 and 42 have the'r inner ends pivotallyattached to the rails 39 and 49 with friction joints, as at 43 and 44,and adjacent their outer ends, these arms 41 and 42 are pivotallyconnected, as at 45 and 46, to a downwardly extending bar 47. The outerend of the arm 41 extends beyond the point 45 so as to provide aconvenient handle 48, while the lower end of the bar 4'7 extends asubstantial distance below the point of attachment 46 to support asubstantially horizontal bar 50. This bar 59 extends transversely acrossthe troughs 10 and 11, and in its lowermost position-it may actuallyrest upon the upper edges of the trough walls 25 and 26.

Two guide supporting members 51 and 52 are secured intermediate theirends to the horizontal bar 50 in such manner that they dependsubstantial distances into the troughs when the bar 50 is in itslowermost position, as shown at the lefthand side of Fig. 1.Groovedguide rollers'or pulleys 53 and 54 are rotatably mounted at theupper and lower ends respectively of the member 51, said pulleys beingformed of porcelain or other suitable material, and similar pulleys 55and 56 are mounted at the upper and lower ends of the companion member52. The yarn or thread A in passing fromthe supply unit B to therewinding unit C passes over these guide pulleys, that is to say, overthe pulley 53, thence downward into the dye bath, under the pulley 54and upward over the pulley 53, thence across to the pulley 55, downwardin the cleansing bath, under the pulley 56 and upward over the pulley 55again. The yarn can, of course, run over the respective pulleys andthroughthe baths more than once, and in fact it will be so run in mostinstances, the number of times depending upon the nature of the textilematerial and the dye being used. For this reason, the guide pulleys areeach provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves, so that theyarn may be given two or three immersions with a possibility for slightoxidation between each immersion as the yarn travels over the upperpulley 53. In order to guide the yarn to the pulley 53 withoutcontacting with the edge of the tank or trough 10, a small guide rod orwire 58 is carried by the front end of the horizontal bar 50, and anauxiliary guide roller 59 may be employed to lead the dyed yarn awayfrom the wash trough 11. 1

It will now be seen that the yarns are individually guided through thecLve bath and through the cleansing bath, and that the guiding means forthe respective units are under individual control. Thus, by means of thehandle 48, the parallel motion arms 41 and 42 of any one of the variouspulley sets can be swung either up or down to move the guide pulleys ofthat set out of or into dyeing position, at will. When they are in theirupper position, as shown at the right in Fig. 1, the yarn can be readilythreaded through or over the guide pulleys, facilitating the initialset-up of the machine as well as rendering the repair of broken threadseasy of accomplishment. The brakes 23 may be actuated in any desiredmanner, those shown in Fig. 1 being controlled automatically by theraising and lowering of the yarn guide means. Thus each brake is formedwith a forward extension 24 in the path of movement of the bar 50 forthe corresponding spindle, and as said bar reaches its lowermostposition, its rear end engages said extension 24 and rocks the sameslightly to disengage the brake from the spindle, but as the bar 50 israised, it disengages said extension 24, leaving the brake free to beapplied by a spring.

In order to remove excess surface moisture from the yarn and to preventsplashing, series of wipers such as shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5 areemployed, two for each guide pulley set, though squeezing rolls may besubstituted for them, if desired. Each of these illustrated wipnotches65 extending downwardly from their upper edges, and the rubber sheet 62,which extends entirely across and between said notches, is formed withan incision or slit 66 through which the yarn is adapted to pass, and bythe side walls of which the yarn is squeezed in its passage. The plate60 extends below the plate 61 and is formed with a notch 67 which, incooperation with a notch 68 in the upper edge of the horizontal bar 50,provides a simple means of attachment for the wiper to each guide pulleyset. Thus, when in place, the wiper is disposed in a plane perpendicularto that of the member 50, and with the slit 66 substantially in linewith the central plane of rotation of the upper guide pulleys 53 and 55.There are two of such wipers mounted on each bar 50, one being disposedover the dye trough 10 and at the delivery side of the guide pulley 53,and the other being disposed over the wash trough 11 at the deliveryside of the guide pulley 55.

' The sheet rubber 62 of each wiper is, of course, non-absorbent and issufilciently yieldable to embrace the yarn and wipe its surface cleanlyand uniformly, yet without imposing any appreciable tension on the yarnor offering resistance to its passage. The latter feature isparticularly important and arises from the fact that the moisture,carried by the yarn and coming in contact with the rubber, acts as alubricant to eliminate friction between the yarn and the rubber. This isone of the peculiar properties of rubber which renders it particularlywell adapted for use in the present invention. Furthermore, a wiper ofthis kind does not produce any splashing, and the moisture which itremoves from the yarn drips back into the trough whence it came.

It is desirable in most instances, though not necessary in all cases, todry the yarn thoroughly before it reaches the spool or bobbin 16 of therewinding unit, and for this purpose the yarn may be led over a longroute or circuitous path for exposure to the atmosphere as it travelsfrom the wash trough to the rewinding unit. In the illustratedembodiment, this is accomplished by running the yarn upward asubstantial distance from the guide 59 and over an idler pulley '70supported by a bracket 70 on a longitudinal rail 70 at the upper end ofthe post 37, and thence downwardly under a reciprocating guide '71 whichdirects it properly to the bobbin 16. The guide 71 is secured to theupper end of a rod '72 slidably mounted in a fixed bracket '73 and whichis reciprocated by a link 74 and cam (not shown) as is well known tothose skilled in the art. As the yarn thus passes through the air, it isdried by evaporation, and the dye is oxidized, giving a completely anduniformly dyed and dried product of fast color. Other means may, ofcourse, be employed for drying the yarn if desired, as for example anysuitable steam or electrical heating devices arranged between the washtrough and the rewinding unit.

The specific dye stufl used is selected in accordance with the colordesired and the nature of the yarn material. After the dye has beenselected, it is mixed with some other suitable medium which will reducethe surface tension to a minimum. This makes possible a rapidpenetration of the fibers by the dye, and furthermore it effects a verysubstantial and unexpected saving in the amount of dye used per weightor volume of yarn operated upon. In order further to insure uniformityin color of the product, the dye liquor is circulated continuouslythrough the dye trough during the dyeing operation, and it isautomatically maintained at a constant level. in the trough and at fullpredetermined strength, as well as at uniform temperature.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that thedye liquor enters the trough 10 at one end thereof through an inlet orsupply pipe 76, and overflows from the other end of the trough through areturn pipe 77. The supply pipe '76 is connected with a small rotarypump 78 which forces the dye liquor through said pipe 76 from a supplytank 79, while the return pipe 77 drains back into the said tank 79, sothat the dye liquor is circulated round and round and used over and overagain.

The speed of the pump '78 is, of course, regulated to deliver the dyeliquor in a volume equal to the capacity of the overflow pipe, and byreason of this arrangement, the dye liquor in the trough will bemaintained at a constant level. It is to be noted, however, that the dyetrough, being very narrow and shallow, contains only a small volume ofdye liquor as compared with the amount of yarn adapted to pass throughit in a given time period or in a complete run of the apparatus, butnevertheless, the volume and strength of the liquor are alwaysmaintained at definite, predetermined values. Thus, in order tocompensate for the dye consumption and evaporation losses, additionaldye liquor is continuously added to the circulation system from areplenishing tank 80 under the automatic control of a float valve 81which is responsive to fluctuations of volume in the circulation systemas reflected by the level of the liquor in the supply tank 79. The dyesolution in the replenishing tank is of such strength that until thistank becomes empty, there will be no reduction in the strength of thedye liquor in the circulation system, so that a given quantity of dyeliquor may be provided for a given quantity of yarn elements to be dyed,thus rendering the dyeing of the material absolutely uniform. In passingthrough the dye trough, the yarns absorb more water than they do dye,and it is to compensate for this fact that the dye solution in thereplenishing tank 80 is of much less strength than the original mixstarted with in the dye trough and circulation system. The necessarydifference between the two solutions can readily be determined by thoseskilled in the art, the relative proportions being dependent upon theparticular dye used, the absorption properties of the yarn, and thevolume and speed of travel of the yarn.

The high speed penetration of the dye solution is further facilitated byheating the liquor in the circulation system and by maintaining itstemperature substantially uniform. While the heating may be efiected inother ways, such as by electrical heating elements, it is preferred toemploy steam for this purpose, the steam being passed through a smallpipe 82 which is submerged in the bottom of the dye trough 10 and runsfrom end to end thereof. The steam preferably enters the pipe 82 at thedye discharge or overflow end of the trough, so that the passage of thesteam is in a direction contrary to the fiow of the dye solution, and sothat the hottest part of the steam pipe comes in contact with thecoolest portion of the active dye liquor. In order to maintain the dyeliquor at a substantially constant temperature, the supply of steam tothe pipe 82 is regulated automatically by a valve 83 under the controlof a thermostat 84 which is subject to the heat of the-circulating dyeliquor.

in the illustrated embodiment, the thermostat 84 is arranged in thesupply pipe 76, although it could be disposed within the trough 10 orotherwise. Hence, as the temperature of the dye liquor drops below apredetermined point, more steam is admitted to the pipe 82, and viceversa.

It is pointed out that both of the dye troughs 10 are included in thecirculation and heatingsystems just described (see Fig. 2), so that allof the yarn handled by the machine undergoes the same treatment.Furthermore, it is to be understood that the replenishing tank may belarge enough to serve a whole battery of machines, in which case theproduct of each machine will be of the same high and uniform quality asthat of the other machines. In fact, it is possible to run the entireproduction of a large mill without the slightest deviation in color orlevelness of color, and this with a low dye consumption and with greatsaving in cost.

The cleansing liquid in the wash trough 11 may be water or any desiredchemical solution, and

it is circulated from an inlet pipe 86, through the trough, and outthrough an overflow or drain pipe 87.

It should be understood; that the invention is not limited to the use ofone dye trough and one wash trough as herein specifically illustratedand described, but it contemplates any desired number of troughs with acorresponding number of sets of yarn guiding pulleys. For example, athird trough might be used for a fixing or sizing solution if desired,or there might be two dye troughs with an intermediate wash trough, or asingle dye trough and two wash troughs, and so forth. In other words,the number of troughs is dependent only upon the number of reactionsnecessary for the particular dye stuff being used.

The invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description,so that only a brief summary will now be given byway of recapitulation.Before commencing'the operation of the machine, the supply bobbins 14are mounted in their holders 15, and the yarns A are threaded throughthe guiding means and secured to the bobbins 16. The dye liquor is thenset in circulation through the dye troughs 10, and the water or othercleansing liquid through the troughs 11. Then the power is applied torotate the central drum 22 which drives the spindles 1'7 of therewinding units. The arms 41 and 42 of the various pulley sets havingbeen swung down to their lowermost positions, the yarns are now fedthrough the successive dye and wash troughs and rewound on the bobbins16. In the event that any one of the yarns should break, it can readilybe repaired by raising its particular set of guide means, so as to giveready access to the parts thereof, without interrupting the feed of theother yarns. The travel of the yarns is continuous and at high speed,and the product is absolutely uniform in color and levelness. Theapparatus is so simple as to be of low first cost, and requires aminimum of labor in attendance. The result is that yarns or threads canbe dyed more rapidly and more economically than in the past, and withmuch greater uniformity in quality.

The invention is, of course, susceptible of numerous modifications inthe details of construction and in the steps of the method, and theright is herein reserved to make such changes as fall within the scopeof the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

through the dye bath in their 1. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising amultiplicity of supply units, a corresponding multiplicity of deliveryunits, an intermediate liquid dye bath container, means for feeding theyarn elements continuously from the supply units to the delivery units,and independently manipulatable guide sets for directing the .yarnelements through the dye bath in their passage from the supply units tothe delivery units.

2. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, acorresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dyebath container, means for feeding the yarn elements continuously fromthe supply units to the delivery units, independently manipulatableguide sets for directing the yarn elements through the dye bath in theirpassage from the supply units to the. delivery units, and means forcontrolling the feeding operation of the individual yarn unitsindependently.

. 3. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, acorresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dyebath container and an intermediate cleansing bath container, means forfeeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to thedelivery units, and independently manipulatable guide sets common toboth the dye bath and the cleansing bath for directing the yarn elementssuccessively through said baths in their passage from the supply unitsto the delivery units.

4. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, acorresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dyebath container and an intermediate cleansing bath container, means forfeeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to thedelivery units, independently manipulatable guide sets common to boththe dye bath and the cleansing bath for directing the yarn elementssuccessively through said baths in their passage from the supply unitsto the delivery units, and means for controlling the feeding operationof the individual yarn units independently.

5.. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, acorresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dyebath container, means for feeding the yarn elements continuously fromthe supply units to the delivery units, independently manipulatableguide sets for directing the yarn elements passage from the supply unitsto the delivery units, and a wiper or squeezer carried by each guide setfor acting upon the yarn elements after they leave the dye bath.

6. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a multiplicity of supply units, acorresponding multiplicity of delivery units, an intermediate liquid dyebath container and an intermediate cleansing bath container, means forfeeding the yarn elements continuously from the supply units to thedelivery units, independently manipulatable guide sets common to boththe dye bath and the cleansing bath for directing the yarn elementssuccessively through said'baths in their passage from the supply unitsto the delivery units, and two wipers or squeezers carried by each guideset and arranged to act upon the yarn elements after they leave the dyebath and cleansing bath respectively.

7. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a liquid dye bath container, meansfor passing yarn elements at high speed through said bath, said meansincluding guide rollers for causing the yarn elements to pass back andforth through the dye bath a plurality of times in .efiectin the dyeingoperation,. and means for moving the guide rollers for the different yamelements independently into and out 01' the dye hath container.

8. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a liquid dye bath container, meansfor passing yarn ele ments through saidbath, said means including guiderollers'for causing the yarn elements to pass into and out of the bath aplurality of times in efieoting the dyeing operation, and means formoving the guide rollers for the different yarn elements independentlyinto and out of the dye bath container. 1

eeogms 9. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a tank or trough forcontaining liquid dye, means for guiding an individual yarn elementthrough the dye, and means for moving said guide means into and out ofthe tank.

10. Yarn dyeing apparatus comprising a tank or trough for containingliquid dye, a series 0! guide units for directing the passage ofindividual yarn elements through the dye tank, and means forindependently moving said guide units into and out of the tank.

EUGENE C. GWALTNEY.

